Shadow of the Changing Blade
by InsanityPasta
Summary: When an injured weapon stumbles into the DWMA, it sends a shock through the school. While Tsubaki and Black Star stay behind to tend to his wounds, the rest of the gang go out to find and slay the witch that attacked him. But other questions arise. What are Maka and Kid doing behind Souls back? What kind of weapon is Sam? And most importantly: can they even defeat this witch?
1. A New Day

Chapter 1

A New Day

_Outside the DWMA_

Death the Kid stared at the staircase leading up to the DWMA. Just another normal day in Death City. It was nice outside, the air was warm, and the other students would have been outside, had it not been almost 8:00.

"Kid, why are we always late to class?" Patti cheerfully asked.

"I told you, Patti, 8 are much better," Kid replied.

"Yeah, but it wouldn't be bad to get here on time for once," Liz tiredly said. But Kid was already staring at the school.

_Perfectly symmetrical, as always. _Kid loved the school, and was looking forward to running it one day. Although he would probably stop that crazy Dr. Stein from being a teacher (he was too valuable to let go altogether) he wouldn't change a single thing about the school. The trio of students continued up the stone stairs, not paying much attention to their surroundings. Not much changed at the DWMA, and if changes did occur, they didn't last for very long. Lord Death liked it that way.

"Hey, Kid! Look!" Patti yelled, already ahead of them.

_Ugh, _Kid thought._ Probably some papers a student dropped or something. _But what Patti found was different: a trail of dried red liquid on the warm pavement.

Kid stammered. "Wh-what is this?

"Whoever it was, they were hurt pretty bad," Liz claimed. They raced up the stairs, both eager and scared for what lay at the top.

_Inside Dr. Stein's classroom_

"Where is Kid? I'm starting to get worried about the three of them."

Maka sat at her desk, listening to Dr. Stein giving a lecture on how demon weapons were created (and possibly the only one taking notes) but at the sound of Tsubaki's voice she turned her head.

"What do you mean? It's only 8:13. His lateness is to the point where Dr. Stein doesn't even care, so I wouldn't worry too much."

"Yeah," Soul interjected, "but he's always here at 8. He would have a heart attack otherwise."

"Okay, you're right," Maka said. "But, where is he then?"

Tsubaki turned away, a worried look on her face. She didn't want to give away anything about how worried she really was. Could something have happened to him before they got to the school?

_No, that's impossible, _she thought. _He's a Reaper. I'm sure he's fine._

Suddenly, the door burst open, revealing the young Reaper himself. His hands and suit were covered in blood, and he was panting.

"WHAT? KID, ARE YOU OKAY!?" Tsubaki screamed.

"What the hell happened?" Soul yelled.

"Ah, Kid. So glad you could join us," Dr. Stein calmly spoke.

"Dr. Stein," Kid rasped in between breaths.

"You've got to come with me. Something's happened.

Hey guys! InsanityPasta here. This is my first story (at least the first one I put on this site). Sorry this chapter was so short, but just wait a bit. The good stuff will come around Chapter 3. I'm not some sort of review hog, or someone who is emotional about it. I just do this for the writing. But reviews, ideas, donations (haha, kidding about that last one) are appreciated, and I'll respond to them. I don't know how long this is going to be, or if I can update it with any form of regularity, but I'm sure it'll be fun.


	2. The Injured Weapon

**To Anonymous: Thanks, I'm glad you feel that way.**

**To Slenderkatt: Yes, but Maka and Kid aren't with each other at the moment, and Tsubaki worries about everyone. That's why I wrote in her, not Maka.**

Chapter 2

The Injured Weapon

Black Star woke up from his nap with a start. A lot of screaming was taking place, and it was starting to annoy him. He sat up, and heard a "Class dismissed!" from Dr. Stein.

_Oh crap. Did I sleep through the whole day? _Black Star thought. But when he looked at the clock on the wall, he saw that it read 8:19.

"Hey, Tsubaki. Why is class over so early?" he quizzically asked.

"Something happened to Kid. He ran in here covered in blood and demanded that Dr. Stein come with him. We're going to go see if he's okay," Tsubaki answered.

Black Star quickly got up and ran after them, easily overtaking them. The nurse's office was just ahead, and he burst in, followed by Soul and the rest of the group. They found Kid (in a different suit), Liz, Patti, and Dr. Stein surrounding a bed.

"KID! IT'S OKAY, BLACK STAR WILL MAKE YOU ALRIGHT AGAIN!" Black Star shouted.

"Shut up, Black Star," Maka stated. "Kid, are you okay?"  
"Yeah, I'm fine, but it's this guy I'm worried about," Kid replied. Black Star pushed through to see a boy unconscious on the bed. From what Black Star saw, he was hurt pretty badly.

"Have you given him anything?" Maka asked.

"Yeah, we gave him some medical treatment."

"Well, then what the hell happened?" Soul asked.

"I don't know exactly," Kid said. "While we were walking up to the school, we found him outside the gates. I don't know how he got here, but I brought him here with Stein." Suddenly the boy awoke, blinking his green eyes rapidly. He nervously looked around, taking in his surroundings.

"Where am I?" he asked. "Who are you people?"

"Hey, it's okay. You're safe here," Tsubaki softly said. "I'm Tsubaki. This is Kid, Maka, Liz, Patti, and Soul. They're friends of mine." The 5 of them raised their hands in greeting.

"Hey, what about me? The great BLACK STAR!"

"Yep,"Tsubaki sighed, "and this is Black Star, my meister."

"Oh, so some of you guys are magic weapons?" he asked.

"Yeah, we are," Tsubaki replied. "Can you tell us anything about yourself?"

"Yeah, sure," he said. "My name is Sam. I'm… well, I'm a weapon, but I'm hardly ever in my weapon form, because I prefer to fight with my sword."

"Really? What kind of weapon are you?" Soul questioned.

"I'm a nightshaft (A nightshaft is a covert magic weapon. It can transform into a slim knife, a silenced sniper rifle, and a scythe for large scale combat. )."

"Well, those are rare," Tsubaki said with admiration. "But, where is your meister?"

"I don't have one. That's why I almost never use my weapon form. Anyway, I was tracking down the witch Sadia. When I confronted her, she attacked. I was hit in the chest with a magic bolt and then she… just left. I managed to drag myself to here and well… here I am."

"You managed to get through the whole city with a wound like _that?!_" Soul inquired. "That's quite impressive."

"Alright," Kid spoke. "You just rest awhile here. You should be fine in… how long, Dr. Stein?"

"About 2 to 3 weeks," Stein replied.

"Thank you," Sam replied. "I'll just sleep for now." And he drifted back into unconsciousness.

_3 days later_

_Maka and Soul's house_

Maka looked at the fridge, sighing at the emptiness of it.

"Soul, we need more food," Maka said with exasperation.

"Alright. We'll get it on the way back," replied a clearly tired Soul. They both left the door at the same time, heading for the Academy. Other students were heading there as well (except for Kid, who would arrive in an hour). The blood that stained the steps leading up to the Academy was cleaned, and the students were recovered from the buzz that Sam had them.

"Ah, Maka, Soul. Lord Death wants you in the Death Room," Stein said.

_Why does Lord Death want us? _Soul thought. They walked into the Death Room, where Lord Death, Kid, Liz, and Patti were already waiting.

"Good," Lord Death said. "Now, I can tell you our plan."

"This witch Sadia is a problem. She is a heavy user in elemental magic, and plans to attack the DWMA. Because of this, I am sending the five of you to Florida, her home territory. You five are the most powerful people I can send. Sam tells us that he was tracking her down from there, and that she has most likely returned."

"How can we know that Sam can be trusted?" Liz asked.

"We don't. But at the moment, it's all we've got."

"What about Tsubaki and Black Star?" Soul asked.

"They will be taking care of Sam at their apartment. He can't stay in the sick bay for 3 weeks, after all."

_In the sick bay_

"Are you sure we should take him home? He might be intimidated by my greatness," Black Star said.

"Yes," Tsubaki cheerfully said. "We're the only ones who have room that are willing to take him in for a while."

_Things are going to have to change around the house, _Tsubaki thought. _We can't have Black Star leaving such a mess anymore with someone else there. _But at the moment Sam was sleeping, and they couldn't get him back. They would have to wait until the next morning.

**Hey guys! *takes a bite of penne* This really is delicious. Anyway, thanks for the support to the people who reviewed my first chapter. The action should start soon, so just bear with me…**

**And yes, the nightshaft is my own personal invention. **


	3. Day of Departure

**To FW Wandering: Thank you for the compliment. **

**To Dj9222: Yeah, I guess you're right, but I did make sure to have him immediately go and get cleaned, didn't I?**

Chapter 3

Day of Departure

_Maka and Soul's house_

Maka awoke slowly, for once not having anything wake her up. She sat up in bed, rubbing her emerald eyes. Blair was yet to return from her outing the night before, and Soul was still asleep. That meant she had some free time before they left.

Maka stretched before getting out of her bed. It had been 3 days since Lord Death had told them about their mission in Florida. Sam was staying at Black Star and Tsubaki's house, and he would have to stay for about 10 days.

_I'm kind of worried about how we're all going to get to Florida at the same time, _Maka thought. _Kid's board and Soul's bike travel at different speeds, so we'll probably have to travel on public transportation… _

Soul bolted out of bed in a panic. He had realized he had forgotten to prepare for the journey across the country, and he only had about an hour.

_Damnit! I don't have time to pack! _Soul thought. Just then, Maka walked in.

"Well, glad to see you're up. I went ahead and packed your things, because you probably forgot," Maka spoke.

"Why do you automatically assume that I forgot to pack?" Soul replied.

"So, did you remember to pack?"

Soul looked away, not meeting Maka's eyes.

"That's what I thought. Anyway, get dressed and hurry up. We're leaving in twenty minutes," Maka replied. She walked out, wanting to make sure that she was thoroughly packed.

Soul sighed, still tired from just waking up. Blair turned from her napping spot on the windowsill to Soul.

"Do you really have to leave? It'll be so boring without you here," Blair complained.

"Yeah, we have to. It's on Lord Death's orders," Soul replied. He still didn't understand why Sadia was so powerful. Sending a two star meister and Lord Death's son to take down a witch seemed a little like overkill. But he dismissed it for the time being.

_At the mansion of Death the Kid_

"HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE YOU TO GET NAIL POLISH!"

Death the Kid was far from his calm self at the moment, running far behind schedule. Patti was waiting near the door, but Liz had forgotten nail polish(or at least she claimed to) and ran upstairs to get it. It had been 10 minutes and she still hadn't come down.

"Alright, I'm coming in!" Kid yelled. He opened the door, revealing Liz trying to paint her nails.

"Hey, haven't you ever heard of knocking?" Liz said.

"Well, while you're up here painting your nails, we're waiting for you downstairs and running late!" Kid screamed. His mind was screaming at him, noticing her asymmetrical half-painted nails, but he was too busy screaming at Liz to notice.

"But it was bothering me. I don't want to leave without painted nails," Liz complained.

Kid said nothing, instead pulling Liz downstairs and out the door, with a giggling Patti following close behind.

Kid said nothing as they traveled to where they would meet Maka and Soul, just outside of Death City. The duo were already waiting for them when they arrived.

"You're late, Kid," Soul laughed.

Kid ignored Soul and turned to Maka.

"So what is our strategy for traveling to Florida?" Kid said. "We can't use the board or Soul's bike."

"My plan is to use public transportation, like buses, trains, etc," Maka replied.

"You do know how long that will take?" Soul chimed. "We might get there in two weeks."

"It's the only way we can get there in time," Maka said. "We're going to have to stay in our human form. People aren't used to seeing demon weapons. Got it?"

"Yeah," they all chorused.

"Alright," Kid spoke. "We'll take the east train line to Arizona, then." The others all nodded in agreement.

"Alright," Maka said. "Let's go."

_In Tsubaki and Black Star's house_

Sam sat up from his sleep. The movement sparked a slight bit of pain, but it hadn't been as bad as the previous days. He couldn't move around just yet, but that would come in due time. He looked around the room, not seeing either of his hosts in the room.

"Hey, Sam. Glad to see you're awake," Tsubaki happily said. She had entered the room with Sam's breakfast.

"Thanks," Sam replied. "You know, I kind of feel guilty that someone else has to make my food for me."

Tsubaki laughed. "No, it's fine. Just be happy Black Star's not making your breakfast."

"That's really a shame," Sam said. "Normally, I am simply one hell of a cook.

"I bet you are," Tsubaki chuckled. She would have said more, but the sound of a crash and a "WHERE'S THE FOOD?!" turned her away.

"I'm sorry. I'm going to have to leave," Tsubaki pouted.

"It's fine. Go take care of your meister, I'll be fine."

Tsubaki walked out to go feed her insane partner, leaving Sam behind.

_You know,_ Tsubaki thought, _Sam is an alright guy._

**Hey guys! Me again. My head keeps swimming with all these ideas for this story, but ideas are still appreciated! *eats fettucini* The action should be starting in the next chapter, so stay tuned!**


	4. Attack on the Train

**To TheIronicPotato and Slenderkatt: Thanks, I'm glad you guys caught that.**

Chapter 4

Attack on the Train

_Inside a westbound train_

The train rumbled through the Arizona desert. Maka, Kid, and the others were traveling through the area on the first leg of their journey. All of them were a little nervous about what they were facing, although none of them showed it.

"So Soul, what do you think about this witch?" Maka asked.

"I don't know," Soul countered. "If she uses elemental magic, then she'll have a fairly large variety of skills.

"And she'll also be very unpredictable. That's a dangerous trait to have for a witch," Kid added.

"That's true," Maka replied. When a witch is unpredictable, strategic planning in advance means almost nothing. This kind of encounter would be difficult to even survive, let alone win.

"To face that kind of thing alone…" Liz thought out loud. "Sam must be powerful to survive that kind of thing on his own."

Suddenly, the train shook toward the front, and Maka heard screams coming from the front. She hastily stood up.

"I'm sensing a Kishin egg at the front of the train," Maka hurriedly said. Kid stood up as well.

"There's one at the back too," Kid said. "And I'm willing to bet that there's no other demon weapons and meisters on this train."

"Come on. Do you really have to say that? That's pretty obvious," Soul said.

"Anyway, we'll head to the back and take out the one there. You guys head to the front," Maka said. Kid nodded, and ran off toward the front of the train. Maka grabbed Soul (currently in scythe form) and ran to the caboose.

_In the front of the train_

Kid sidestepped, nimbly dodging the attack made by his opponent.

"Who are you?" Kid asked.

"I am Muctiro," he replied. "My brother Alexei is leading an attack on the caboose, so you can't win. We've killed the train conductor and there was no one else here, so it all works out perfectly." Kid said nothing, preferring to withhold the information about Maka. After all, it was best for him to not know that he wasn't alone. Kid brought up his pistols, firing at Muctiro, but he flipped backwards onto one of the booths.

Kid fired at his adversary, but he ducked into the next car.

_Damn, he's fast, _Kid thought. He fired into the next compartment, but there was no sign of Muctiro. Suddenly, he burst through the ceiling, diving straight at Kid. Kid raised his twin pistols to block the attack. The drill hit the pistols with a huge force, causing one of them to wildly spin out of his hands. Kid retaliated with a kick to Muctiro's stomach, sending him hurtling across the car. While Kid made a mad dash for his other pistol, Muctiro made another charge. Kid flipped over him as he crashed through the door into the next car.

Muctiro struggled to his feet as Kid smiled, knowing the battle was his. He flipped into the air, crashing his foot down on Muctiro's head. He followed with a double shot to his head with his pistols, sending him hurtling out of the train.

"Who was that guy?" Liz muttered.

"Don't know!" Patti happily stated.

"In any case," Kid said, "let's regroup with Maka and Soul."

_In the back of the train_

Maka jumped again as Alexei took another swipe with his claws. He kept raking at Maka, with her only able to block.

_I need to get on top of the train. That's the only way I can fight, _Maka thought. But the ladder was on the other side of Alexei, and she couldn't fight with her scythe. Alexei continued to swipe at Maka, barring her pathway. Alexei jumped at her from the roof of the car. Maka ducked and dove under him.

_ Now's my chance! _ Maka rolled behind him and into the ladder. She quickly climbed up to the roof of the train, anticipating Alexei to follow. Sure enough, he did. Maka spun the scythe toward him, but he jumped and attacked, scoring a graze on Maka's right cheek. She spun Soul toward Alexei, scoring a direct hit on him. He fell to the top of the train. Soon only his evil soul remained.

"Maka!" Kid ran up to them with Liz and Patti. "I'm glad to see the two of you are okay."

Maka quickly explained what had happened with Alexei, and Kid explained about his fight as well.

"Well," Soul asked, "does anyone know why that happened? They couldn't have just randomly attacked."

"Well, they could've, but my guess is that Sadia sent them to attack us," Maka replied.

"There's no way for us to solidly know that yet," Kid said. "Oh-Maka, you're hurt!"

"Hmm? " Kid approached her and brought up his hand to her face with a cloth. He wiped the blood from the cut off of her face.

"Hey," said Soul (who was now back in human form) "What are you doing?"

Kid stepped back. "There. Now you're symmetrical." Maka brought her hand up to her face, realizing the blood was gone.

"Well, best we continue on," Liz said, ending the conversation. But Maka wasn't paying attention.

_What was Kid thinking? _Maka thought. _If I was bleeding he could have just told me. _They all headed back into the compartment.

"Hey," Soul said. "You do realize that we're all alone, on a stopped train, in the middle of nowhere, right?"

**Sup guys! Toretellini. Is. Awesome. Anyway, this is my first action chapter, so I hope you guys like it. Stay with me for more cool stuff**!


	5. Improvements

**No reviews to address, but I don't really care. I just do this for the writing. So, enjoy!**

Chapter 5

Improvements

_In Death City, 10:00 in the morning._

"Come on, did I really have to come?"

"Yes, Black Star. Personally, I don't trust you alone with someone you just met yet."

Tsubaki and Black Star were heading off to the grocery store to get some extra food. After all, they were feeding an extra person now(and Black Star was a big eater, due to his training) so they needed a lot more groceries.

Black Star really wasn't happy with that.

"The man who is going to surpass God shouldn't have to go grocery shopping," Black Star complained.

"Please just bear with it, Black Star. It'll be over before you know it," Tsubaki comforted.

The grocery store was a good quarter mile from Tsubaki and Black Star's(and temporarily Sam's) house, but it wasn't a problem to walk there, and they would probably be back around 12:00.

Tsubaki grabbed a cart and headed for the produce section.

_Sam eats as much as I do, so I don't need to get that much more,_ Tsubaki thought.

_"_Hey, Black Star, do you want…" She looked around, realizing that her meister was no longer around.

"Where did he run off to this time?" Tsubaki sighed. He was always doing this.

_Outside the store_

"YAHOOOO!" Black Star yelled, before covering his mouth.

_Damnit! I need to be quiet, _Black Star thought. He ran off in the direction of his house, not realizing Tsubaki was behind him. A small shuriken embedded itself in the back of his head. He stopped, realizing what had just happened.

"OWWWWWW!" Black Star screamed. As he spasmed in pain, Tsubaki dragged him back into the store to start shopping.

_In Tsubaki and Black Star's house_

Sam darted his eyes across the area, making sure he had everything he needed for his plan. Neither of the two homeowners knew what he was up to, and this would definitely shock the two of them.

"It looks like I have everything I need," Sam said with a laugh. He could probably finish in an hour, and Tsubaki and Black Star wouldn't be back until about 75 minutes from now.

He began to gather his materials for his plan.

_In the grocery store_

Black Star, having given up on trying to leave, slowly walked through the store with Tsubaki. They still had a fair amount of things to get for the three of them, and Black Star would rather be at home, training or sleeping.

"So we need milk, bread, sausage…" Tsuabki rattled off the grocery list as they gathered their food for the next few weeks. For a while they silently shopped, until Tsubaki asked a question.

"Hey, Black Star," Tsubaki said.

"Yeah?" he replied.

"What do you think of Sam?"

"I don't really know. I guess he's cool, but he's not as cool as me."

"I knew you'd say that." Tsubaki laughed.

"Why are you asking me? What do you think of him?"

Tsubaki thought about that for a moment before she spoke again.

"Well, I think he's cool too."

They finished their shopping(with Black Star still madly complaining) and started to head home. Death City looked eerily calm for a Saturday afternoon. The trip home was short, but to Black Star it felt like an eternity.

"Finally, we're done!" Black Star shouted. Tsubaki smiled as they walked along with their bags.

"I wonder if Sam's still asleep," Tsubaki pondered out loud. However, when they got to the house, Black Star stopped, motioning for her to stop as well.

"There's someone moving inside," Black Star whispered. The two of them crouched down, and Black Star slowly opened the door, seeing what was inside. Suddenly, Black Star jumped up and started yelling.

"WHAT THE HELL?! I THOUGHT YOU WERE HURT!?" Black Star screamed. Tsubaki, standing next to him, was in shock, her mouth agape.

"Well, I'm resilient, but I still won't be able to fight for another week or so," Sam said, leaning against the counter.

"Did… did you…" Tsubaki stuttered.

"Yeah. I did. I told you I was going to cook for you before I left," Sam replied. A plate of food was sitting behind him.

"Cool! What did you make?" Black Star asked with excitement.

Sam slid the plate on the counter toward them, revealing it to be homemade sushi.

"I didn't even know you could make sushi," said Tsubaki, who had recovered from her shock.

"Try it," Sam replied. Tsubaki picked up a piece and put it in her mouth.

"Wow, that's really good!" said a clearly impressed Tsubaki.

"Hey, I told you I was one hell of a cook, didn't I?"

A few minutes later, the trio sat, eating sushi.

"Where did you learn to cook like that?" Tsubaki asked with admiration.

"I picked it up a few years ago. I've always been a fan of cooking."

"Really? That's cool," Black Star said.

"Yeah, it is," Sam replied.

They finished the meal, and Sam decided that he'd had enough of being on his feet. With Tsubaki helping him, he got back to his room to lie down.

"So who taught you how to cook like that?" Tsubaki asked.

"My friend Jasmine taught me," he replied.

"Oh really? What's she like?"

He was quiet for a moment before he spoke.

"She's… not around anymore." A tear trailed down his face.

"Oh. I'll stop talking about it."

"No, no. It's best that I tell this to someone," Sam quietly replied. Tsubaki sat down to listen to his story.

**Hey guys. Sorry to leave you guys on this cliffhanger.**

**Well, not really. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.**

**Stay with me for more awesomeness!**


	6. Stranded

**To Guest: Thank you for the encouragement.**

**To OneForTheMoney: That idea came from a friend of mine, and I must say I think it turned out pretty well.**

Chapter 6

Stranded

_In the forest_

Maka jumped to the left to avoid the attack from the Kishin Egg. He leaped toward her, not giving up the assault. She swung Soul toward him, but he jumped into the tree behind him. He dived again, but Maka spun the scythe toward him to block it. He slammed down with massive force, nearly causing Maka to lose her footing. However, she managed to hold her ground and retaliate with another swing of the scythe. Again, the adversary jumped into a nearby tree.

_His combat strategy is always the same, _Maka thought. _He attacks once and then jumps into a tree. I need to find a way to get him to stay down here. _She tensed, prepared for the next attack that he would make. Unsurprisingly, he dived at Maka again from the tree.

Maka spun around and slammed him into the ground with the scythe. She then spun it upward, ripping the scythe through his arm. He reared back, screaming in pain. Maka wasn't willing to let him gain any ground, and immediately charged for him. She scored a direct hit on him, and he crumpled to the ground. Soul jumped out of his weapon form and approached his poisoned soul.

"This is tasty," Soul said while chewing the soul. As he swallowed, Maka turned to him.

"It's going to become a major hindrance if we keep getting split up like this," Maka stated. "This is the second time today."

"You're right," Soul replied. "Speaking of which, where's Kid?"

_Not where Maka is, but still in the same forest_

"DIE, YOU ASSYMETRICAL BITCH!" Kid yelled as he fired at the Kishin egg. His appearance was Kid's personal nightmare. His body and face were mangled(even before Kid shot him) and had a chainsaw replacing his left arm. He swung at Kid with the chainsaw. Kid dove behind him, narrowly missing his attack. Kid sprinted behind the Kishin egg, madly firing his pistols at him. He swung his chainsaw to block the assault from Kid, and ran at him again. He managed to land a hit with his leg, slamming Kid against a tree.

"Come on Kid! Get up!" Liz and Patti yelled. Kid staggered to his feet.

"I… will not… be beaten by asymmetrical garbage like you!" Kid yelled. He brought up his pistols, relentlessly attacking the opponent. He tried to run, but some of the wavelengths blasted into him, sending him flying him into the opposite tree.

The Kishin egg jumped up, running at Kid with incredible speed. Kid blocked his chainsaw attack with his pistols, and drove his leg into his stomach. He flew backward, and Kid saw his opportunity. He jumped up to the Kishin egg, and fired his pistol at his head. He launched into the ground, and the resulting shockwave blasted the trees nearby. Kid landed next to him, and pointed his pistols at his head.

"That's what happens when you take on a Reaper," Kid said. He fired his pistols, reducing his adversary to his soul. Kid smiled as Liz and Patti returned to their normal forms.

"So Kid, who gets the soul? We each have an equal amount of souls," Patti said. Kid's smile melted as he realized the situation. He shrunk to the ground, banging his fists on it.

"Damnit! There's no way to fix it! I'll just have to die," Kid sobbed. Liz and Patti attempted to get him to stop sobbing as Maka and Soul approached.

"There's no way that these are just random attacks," Soul said. "This is definitely Sadia's doing."

"You're right," said a clearly depressed Kid(It was decided that Liz would get the soul). "But for now, we should just make camp for the night."

_That night, in the makeshift campout_

"Well, this sucks."

The five of them laid around the fire that Liz had prepared. (She had a lot of experience with making fires out of anything; she was a criminal on the run in New York, after all.)

"We need a plan," Maka said, breaking the silence. "How are we going to defeat Sadia?"

"The better question right now is how we are going to get out of this situation," Soul joked.

"No, Maka raises a fair point," Kid interjected. "Sadia's elemental magic and large amount of followers make her a dangerous opponent. We're going to need to be alert the whole way to Florida."

"Is there anything else we need to know about this witch?" Soul asked.

"Yeah," Kid replied. "Most of her followers are like Arachnaphobia- just foot soldiers. They will be fairly easy to take out, but there is a lot of them."

"One thing is certain. We are in for one hell of a battle when we get to our destination," Liz stated.

"Yeah. But let's try and get to sleep," Maka said. The rest of them nodded.

_Later that night_

Maka awoke to someone gently shaking them. She opened her eyes to see Kid standing over her.

"Kid?" Maka groggily asked. "What are you doing up?"

"I just wanted to make sure the two of you were okay," Kid replied in a hushed tone.

"Yeah, we're fine, although I could use getting some sleep," Maka said. "What about you, Kid? From where we were, it sounded like a pretty major battle."

"I'm fine."

"Alright," Maka exasperated. "Now can I go back to sleep?" Kid sneaked back to his sleeping bag. Maka stared at the rolling sky above her and thought about Kid's recent behavior. It seemed that Kid was more caring than usual lately. Maka didn't know what to make of it, but she decided that it wasn't important right now. She rolled over and tried to go back to sleep.

It was a problem for another day.

**Hey guys! I broke the 1000 word barrier for this one. I'm proud of myself. Anyway, the story seems to be progressing nicely, so stay with me!**


	7. Pieces of the Past, Part 1

**To SmackDatPizza: HELL NO! A) this is a T rated story, B) that's not how my character acts, and C) I can't write that. If you want that, go to a new story. However, you will NEVER find that in any of my stories. If you like that kind of thing, fine, but don't do that in my stories.**

**Sorry. Bit of a rant there. Anyway, back to the story.**

Chapter 7

Pieces of the Past, Part 1

_In the guest room of Black Star and Tsubaki's house_

"No, it's best I tell this to someone," Sam quietly replied. Tsubaki sat down to listen to his story.

"For the past few years, I've been living in New York. Me, my friend Percy, and Jasmine were good friends."

_DRAMATIC FLASHBACK- 2 years ago_

"Come on, Sam, what's taking you so long? Hurry up!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Sam (14 at the time) was on his way to Percy's house to hang out for a while before their next assignment. He grabbed his hoodie and headed out the door.

Percy's house wasn't too far from where he lived. In no time at all, he arrived at his destination. Jasmine had already arrived, and Percy was opening a soda.

"Bout time you arrived, Sam," Percy said with a grin. The three of them sat around, talking and laughing like one big happy family. Around 8, Jasmine decided to watch a movie.

"So, what do you guys want to watch?" Jasmine asked.

"I don't care, just pick something," Percy said, and Sam shrugged. The trio watched movies until nearly midnight, when it was decided to head home.

"Alright, I'm heading home," Sam said, rubbing his eyes.

"I'm just going to crash here," Jasmine stated. Percy nodded, then headed to his room to sleep. Sam left the house, grinning like a madman.

_Those two are always fun to be around, _Sam thought. _But I better get some sleep- I'll have to get up early in the morning tomorrow. _

Sam unlocked the door to his house, but didn't bother to do anything. He just laid down on the couch and went to sleep.

_Present day_

"So, the three of you were obviously good friends," Tsubaki said,

"Yeah," Sam replied. "But we had another connection. We were a witch hunting unit."

"Do you mean like soldiers?"

"More like mercenaries, but we made a decent living. Percy was a swordmaster, and Jasmine was my meister."

"You mean you used to have a meister?"

"Yeah. I did."

_DRAMATIC FLASHBACK- 2 years ago, on a witch hunting job in the city_

Jasmine ducked to avoid the magic bolt. The witch Zephyr was a tough one to kill, but they would manage. Percy swung his sword, but Zephyr dodged it, still going for Jasmine.

"Percy! Can you hold him for a minute!?" Jasmine yelled.

"Yeah!" Percy replied, and pressed the attack. Jasmine ran to the top of the nearest building for a sniper point. She aimed Sam(in sniper mode) at Zephyr, but he flew into the next building. Percy followed him, and Jasmine ran across the rooftops, staying hidden from the witch.

Zephyr sprinted from an alleyway, still going for Percy. He blocked with his sword, holding Zephyr in one spot. Jasmine readied Sam for another shot, and fired. The bullet hit Zephyr in the stomach, and he flew back into the opposite wall. Percy charged for him, his sword leveled at his chest. Zephyr managed to dodge the attack, firing more magic bolts at Jasmine. She ran into another building. Zephyr dived at Percy, sending him flying down the road.

Jasmine ran out of the building at the witch, spinning Sam (in scythe mode) at his head. He leaped behind her on top of a building.

_Damn, this guy is hard, _Sam thought. Zephyr turned to them.

"Gemstone blade!" he yelled. A emerald and ruby blade materialized in his hand. He leaped toward Percy, who barely managed to block the attack. Jasmine ran toward Zephyr, swinging Sam in a wide arc. He blocked the attack with his blade, but Sam managed to stab him from behind while he was distracted.

Zephyr sunk to his knees, then fell forward. His body slowly disappeared, leaving his soul. Sam jumped out of his weapon form and looked at the soul.

"Looks tasty," he said, before gobbling up the soul.

"Alright, so should we head to the contract holder, then?" Percy said. Jasmine nodded as they walked away.

_That night, in the house of Harold West_

"Thank you for taking care of that witch for me," Harold said. "He has been thwarting me at every chance he gets, and with him gone, I can get a lot more things done."

"Thank you for being true to your agreement in terms of payment," Sam said. "There has been many times where people have tried to cheat us out of our payment."

"Well, I am an honest man. Here's the money we agreed on." He handed Percy a few wads of bills, totaling 2,500$.

"Thank you. We'll be on our way, then," Jasmine said as they left.

_Present day_

"It sounds like the three of you were a very dependable team," Tsubaki said.

"Yeah, we were a good team," Sam replied. "But it didn't last."

**Hey guys! InsanityPasta is back. The second part of this chapter will be coming out soon, so stay tuned for more cool stuff!**


	8. Pieces of the Past, Part 2

**To EatYoFace: I'm glad you caught that.**

Chapter 8

Pieces of the Past, Part 2

"Yeah, we were a good team," Sam replied. "But it didn't last."

_DRAMATIC FLASHBACK- 3 months ago_

"Are you serious?" Percy said. "He's willing to pay 20,000$?!"

"Yep," Jasmine said. Percy stayed still, his mouth agape.

"Well then, let's try it!" Sam said with a cheeky grin. Jasmine nodded, and Percy turned to go.

"This ought to be interesting."

_Later that day, while talking over the contract_

"The witch's name is Sadia. She's very dangerous, and a user of both elemental magic _and directional magic."_

"We'll take her down," Sam replied. As they left, Jasmine turned to him.

"What makes you so confident that we'll take down Sadia?" Jasmine asked.

"I don't. I'm just excited about 20,000$. But I have faith in our skills," Sam stated.

"Alright, but this is going to be tough," Percy said. The trio parted ways to pack.

_2 weeks later, in the forest_

Percy dove forward to avoid the rock launched by Sadia. She cackled madly, launching more heaps of stone at him. He ran to the left, dodging more projectiles. Jasmine lined up a shot with Sam(in sniper mode) and fired. Sadia brought up a stone wall, blocking the shot. Percy tried to attack Sadia, but a blast of wind launched him backward. Jasmine tried taking another shot, but Sadia flew out into another area of the forest.

"Damnit!" Percy yelled. "At this rate, we won't be able to defeat her!"

"Just calm down!" Sam yelled. "We'll take her down." _But, truthfully,_ Sam thought, _I don't know if we can do this. But I sure as hell can try!_

Jasmine jumped down from the bottom of the tree, spinning Sam ( in scythe mode) at the witch. Sadia leaped behind Percy and knocked him into the tree behind him. She launched a blast of wind at Jasmine, knocking Sam out of her hands. Jasmine ran toward him, as Sadia turned to Percy, who was staggering to his feet. She sent a massive wave of Earth toward Percy.

"PERCY!" Sam yelled, sprinting toward him. "NO!"

Percy disappeared under the pile of rubble. Jasmine sunk to her knees, her eyes brimming with tears. Sam turned to her, a look of shock painted across his face.

"He-he's dead," Jasmine cried.

Sam closed his eyes, fighting back his own tears.

"I'm sorry, Percy," Sam whispered. "We will… We WILL avenge you!" Jasmine ran behind him, grabbing him as he switched into sniper rifle mode. They charged toward Sadia, anger and sorrow pushing them beyond the brink of diplomacy.

"LET'S GO! SOUL RESONANCE!" They both screamed, and Sam morphed into a massive black gun.

"SHADOW LAUNCHER!" Jasmine yelled, firing the gun. A massive blast of darkness hit Sadia in the stomach, sending her flying backwards. Sam switched into scythe mode, and the duo charged again.

"WITCH HUNTER!" They swung the scythe at Sadia, and scored a hit on her arm. She staggered back.

"An impressive attempt," Sadia grinned, "but I'm afraid it'll take more than that to kill me." She launched a volley of flaming bolts around them, setting the forest ablaze and sealing them in. They were trapped inside the circle. Jasmine sprinted toward her, still using the Witch Hunter technique. Sadia dodged the attack, and sent earth bolts toward Jasmine. She cut through all of them.

"Looks like my elemental magic won't work," Sadia said. "I'll have to use other magic instead." She fired a vector of darkness at the pair. Jasmine dodged to the left, and swung the scythe at her. She dodged the assault, causing her to slam the scythe into the ground. Sadia sent another volley of dark arrows at her. Jasmine had no time to dodge the attack, and raised Sam to block it.

Sadia smiled. She knew the battle was hers, and sent a massive amount of dark arrows toward her. Jasmine tried to block them all, but most of them still hit her. Sam clattered to the ground. He switched to human form and ran to her side.

"Jasmine! Are you okay?" Sam screamed. Jasmine weakly turned to him.

"I- I'm sorry," Jasmine softly said. "I've failed."

"No, don't say that," Sam replied. "You haven't failed anyone, just please, stay with me!"

"Goodbye, Sam."

_10 days ago, outside Death City_

Sam trudged through the forest, on the trail of Sadia. His sword dragged behind him, leaving a line in the dirt. He knew she was close; he could see she fought someone earlier. There were obvious signs of elemental magic being used. He heard a smashing from behind him, and turned to see the witch.

"SADIA!" he screamed, charging her. She calmly sidestepped, firing earthen bolts at him. He sliced through the rocks, still charging at Sadia. She backed up, firing more bolts at him, made of all kinds of elements. He still kept charging at her, slamming her into the tree.

"You bastard!" Sam screamed, but Sadia kicked him in the stomach. As he was getting up, Sadia flew toward him, sending a magic bolt directly into his chest. He slammed into the ground.

"Finally, I've killed the last of your little 'team'" Sadia said with a maniacal laugh as Sam struggled to his feet.

"Damn you, Sadia," he struggled to say. Sadia laughed.

"Like that means anything to me."

Sam's vision blurred. He swayed on his feet.

_No! I can't die here! _Sam thought. Sadia speeded away, leaving Sam behind to die.

_Damnit, I'm not going to last much longer…Maybe if I can get inside the city, to that large building…_

Sam walked to the gates of the city, his steps hurting him all the way.

_PRESENT DAY_

"I understand," Tsubaki softly said. "You've been through a lot."

Tears strolled down Sam's face, although he wasn't making a sound.

"Yeah," Sam whispered. He turned to her, tears trailing down even more. "It's still hard to talk about."

"It's okay," Tsubaki replied. "'I've been through loss as well. I know what you're feeling."

Tsubaki pulled Sam close to her, comforting him.

"I understand, Sam. I'm here for you."

**Sup, guys! Keep up with those reviews, it really helps me out! Stay with me for more stuff!**


	9. Planning

**Sorry about not posting in a while. I've been busy. Anyway, enjoy!**

Chapter 9

Planning

_In the forest_

Soul stared into the distance, his eyes glazing over from fatigue. He had been up since 3 in the morning on watch. After all that had happened, it would be foolish not to set up a guard. But nothing had happened over the night, and the sunrise was peeking over the trees.

_I wonder just how powerful this witch is,_ Soul thought. He smiled to himself. _And I bet her soul will be delicious. _He ducked his head, having accidentally fallen asleep on watch.

From her sleeping bag, Maka smiled.

_30 minutes later_

Soul opened his eyes quickly, having been shaken awake by Kid. He was yelling something at him, but he couldn't quite make it out.

"What'd you say?" Soul muttered. Kid looked at him in annoyance. _Probably something about sleeping on my watch._

"I said, you're sleeping with no symmetry! You can't sleep like that!" Kid yelled.

"Really, Kid? You're obsessing over something like that?" Liz mumbled, still wrapped up in her sleeping bag. Kid continued to rant at Soul, while everyone else got ready. Eventually, Soul left to go get ready as well, and Liz and Patti managed to calm Kid down.

A few minutes later, the group headed through the forest, heading for the nearby town. They were discussing strategy.

"So Kid, what exactly is our plan for defeating this witch?" Maka asked. Kid turned to her, a quizzical look on his face.

"Well, there's not really much of a plan," Kid said. " We just have to kill the witch. She's stationed in Florida, around the Tampa area."

"Yeah, but that's not much of a plan, is it? We don't know anything about this, do we?"

"According to Father, there's a personal friend of Dr. Stein's doing research in Tampa Bay. Supposedly, he knows specifically where their home base is, but he's only staying for a few weeks, so we'll need to move quickly."

"What makes you think that this guy can be trusted?" Soul interrupted. He was a little suspicious of what Kid was talking about.

"He's known Stein since they were young," Kid said with a hint of frustration, "so I think it'll be fine."

"Alright, so our main plan is to find this guy?" Maka asked.

"Yep."

They continued in silence for another few minutes, until Patti finally spoke.

"LOOK!" Patti yelled. She sprinted ahead of them and pointed to the distance. On the other side of the hill they had been climbing was the town. It was apparently largely populated, and bustling with activity. A large market sprawled in the center of the town, with shopkeepers shouting out to passers by. Surrounding the market was larger shops inside the row of buildings.

"Well, it looks like we've arrived," Kid thought.

_Ya think? _Soul thought.

"We can sleep in real beds!" Liz squealed. They walked into the city, their minds on other things besides the dangers ahead.

_Somewhere in the Tampa area_

"It seems that they've arrived at a town in New Mexico, milady," the man said.

"Excellent," Sadia said. "Send a team there immediately." The man nodded and walked out the door.

_It seems that Death was serious about ending me, _Sadia thought. _But I've got plenty of tricks left._

**Hey guys! Sorry this chapter was so short. Like I said, I've been super busy. But you guys can stay with me, right? See ya next chapter!**


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